Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[elsievo]

Used FL165 flail mower refurb in process. (not sure of manufacturer, I think Titan/Ironcraft, at least it looks just like their's in the pictures). Most of the hanger bolts are bent. Seem to be standard grade 2 bolts, should I replace them with grade 5? Also the rotor is bent. A local machine shop is going to try to straighten it, but if push comes to shove we'll see if we can get a replacement. Surprising the hammer flails themselves are in pretty good shape. Wonder if the previous owner replaced them after the damage occured.

 

[Nygardenguy]

Hello all,
New tractor owner here. Considering a Del Morino Centurion Super 158 to run behind a Kubota L4060. Del Morino says it weighs 820 lbs and needs a 15-60 hp tractor , makes a 62” cut and an overall width of 72”. The L4060 manual says the tractor can handle up to an 880 lb flail mower. I have loaded tires (rimguard) and 2 sets wheel weights (appx. 200lbs per wheel). The Del Moreno dealer (Messicks in this case) recommended I step down to the next smaller model the 132. The 132 is a 52” cut (10” less) and 772lbs (app. 50lbs lighter). The price difference is $200. If my tractor can handle it the extra width on the 158 seems preferable.
I have a relatively hilly property in the. Hudson Valley with a pond. The idea behind getting such an expensive mower was to hopefully do it “all” and not get multiple mowing implements. I have 2 fields which I am required to mow so woody vegetation does not grow per the easement agreement. I estimate the fields are 15 acres. One is relatively flat, very wet, and rough and the other is smoother, drier, and hillier.
There are slopes around the driveway and barn that seem ideal for me to push the flail out to the side and mow while I am on a compacted driveway or other flat area. I am hoping to minimize mowing on hills.
Is the L4060 big enough to handle the larger mower? Am I wrong to think this one unit can take care of my mowing needs? Does anyone have this tractor and mower combination and can provide some thoughts?
It’s a lot of money to get it wrong.
Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Racenut]

That's about the same size as my flail mower and I have no issues running it with 28HP at the PTO and your tractor is spec'd at 32-34HP at the PTO. Mine also weighs 820 pounds and no issues there either, I leave it on there most of the time as ballast

Del Morino says 15-50HP and you're right in the middle, unless you're mowing really thick stuff it should be fine. Last week I mowed my cousins field and he has a patch over his leach field that gets pretty thick and was 3-4feet tall. I did need to slow down a bit but just a bit.

 

[LouNY]

I wouldn't worry so much about the horsepower issue. What I see happening is the tail wagging the dog. That is a hydraulic offsetable mower, when you swing that 800 pound mower out to the side or over a bank your tractor is going to be marginal to handle that weight off to the side.

 

[leonz]

Hello all,
New tractor owner here. Considering a Del Morino Centurion Super 158 to run behind a Kubota L4060. Del Morino says it weighs 820 lbs and needs a 15-60 hp tractor , makes a 62” cut and an overall width of 72”. The L4060 manual says the tractor can handle up to an 880 lb flail mower. I have loaded tires (rimguard) and 2 sets wheel weights (appx. 200lbs per wheel). The Del Moreno dealer (Messicks in this case) recommended I step down to the next smaller model the 132. The 132 is a 52” cut (10” less) and 772lbs (app. 50lbs lighter). The price difference is $200. If my tractor can handle it the extra width on the 158 seems preferable.
I have a relatively hilly property in the. Hudson Valley with a pond. The idea behind getting such an expensive mower was to hopefully do it “all” and not get multiple mowing implements. I have 2 fields which I am required to mow so woody vegetation does not grow per the easement agreement. I estimate the fields are 15 acres. One is relatively flat, very wet, and rough and the other is smoother, drier, and hillier.
There are slopes around the driveway and barn that seem ideal for me to push the flail out to the side and mow while I am on a compacted driveway or other flat area. I am hoping to minimize mowing on hills.
Is the L4060 big enough to handle the larger mower? Am I wrong to think this one unit can take care of my mowing needs? Does anyone have this tractor and mower combination and can provide some thoughts?
It’s a lot of money to get it wrong.
Thanks for your thoughts.

NO, NOPE, DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your mule is not heavy enough and wide enough to counter the over center forces swing created by the mower YOU want, nor does it have a low center of gravity and you are a new user.

You should invest in the model 32 as it is better sized flail shredder/mower for your current mule.

These shredder mowers are also designed to mow vertically fully extended in orchards and berry rows using low profile all wheel drive orchard and vineyard tractors as well as mowing tree lined lanes with heavy row crop tractors to keep the brush beaten back.

You need a full set of suitcase weights for this mule as you want to keep the front of the tractor on the ground.

 

[Racenut]

Leonz comment made me go look at a Centurion Super 158, I didn't realize it was articulated like that... yeah that's gonna be trouble. Mine just sits behind the tractor, it has a "side shift" but only 18 inches or so, not way out there.

 

[Nygardenguy]

NO, NOPE, DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your mule is not heavy enough and wide enough to counter the over center forces swing created by the mower YOU want, nor does it have a low center of gravity and you are a new user.

You should invest in the model 32 as it is better sized flail shredder/mower for your current mule.

These shredder mowers are also designed to mow vertically fully extended in orchards and berry rows using low profile all wheel drive orchard and vineyard tractors as well as mowing tree lined lanes with heavy row crop tractors to keep the brush beaten back.

You need a full set of suitcase weights for this mule as you want to keep the front of the tractor on the ground.

Thanks. This was my concern - the torque forces when extended out and to the side. I have a loader so I am thinking my front end should have enough weight and my rear tires are set out all the way. It is the side shift part that concerns me. Do you think the 10” /50lbs reduction of the smaller unit (132) will make enough of a difference?

 

[Torvy]

Thanks. This was my concern - the torque forces when extended out and to the side. I have a loader so I am thinking my front end should have enough weight and my rear tires are set out all the way. It is the side shift part that concerns me. Do you think the 10” /50lbs reduction of the smaller unit (132) will make enough of a difference?

Yes. My tractor is slightly bigger and I have a 175mm flail. Fortunately, mostly of my property is flat. I can definitely feel it when I swing the flail out wide. I'm not an engineer, but the 10" is likely a bigger deal than the 50 lbs.

 

[LouNY]

Thanks. This was my concern - the torque forces when extended out and to the side. I have a loader so I am thinking my front end should have enough weight and my rear tires are set out all the way. It is the side shift part that concerns me. Do you think the 10” /50lbs reduction of the smaller unit (132) will make enough of a difference?

I have a 78" ditch flail on my Branson 8050, with the loader and weights on the tractor I'm a bit over 11,000 pounds. I can definitely feel it when the mower is offset all the way out, I have considered adding another 600 pounds to the left side of the tractor to compensate for the mower.
With the OP's tractor being under 4000 pounds I can't image how that would throw that tractor around.

 

[Fallon]

Hello all,
New tractor owner here. Considering a Del Morino Centurion Super 158 to run behind a Kubota L4060. Del Morino says it weighs 820 lbs and needs a 15-60 hp tractor , makes a 62” cut and an overall width of 72”. The L4060 manual says the tractor can handle up to an 880 lb flail mower. I have loaded tires (rimguard) and 2 sets wheel weights (appx. 200lbs per wheel). The Del Moreno dealer (Messicks in this case) recommended I step down to the next smaller model the 132. The 132 is a 52” cut (10” less) and 772lbs (app. 50lbs lighter). The price difference is $200. If my tractor can handle it the extra width on the 158 seems preferable.
I have a relatively hilly property in the. Hudson Valley with a pond. The idea behind getting such an expensive mower was to hopefully do it “all” and not get multiple mowing implements. I have 2 fields which I am required to mow so woody vegetation does not grow per the easement agreement. I estimate the fields are 15 acres. One is relatively flat, very wet, and rough and the other is smoother, drier, and hillier.
There are slopes around the driveway and barn that seem ideal for me to push the flail out to the side and mow while I am on a compacted driveway or other flat area. I am hoping to minimize mowing on hills.
Is the L4060 big enough to handle the larger mower? Am I wrong to think this one unit can take care of my mowing needs? Does anyone have this tractor and mower combination and can provide some thoughts?
It’s a lot of money to get it wrong.
Thanks for your thoughts.

My 1,500lbs 7.2' Peruzzo brush bull is a little big for my L4060, but runs fine. I really wish I had a L6060 in heavy thick grass, but not enough to upgrade.

Your 4060 will handle the bigger one just fine. May need to go a bit slower. But slow & wide beats fast & narrow. Smoother on you & the machine.

 

[Fallon]

My 1,500lbs 7.2' Peruzzo brush bull is a little big for my L4060, but runs fine. I really wish I had a L6060 in heavy thick grass, but not enough to upgrade.

Your 4060 will handle the bigger one just fine. May need to go a bit slower. But slow & wide beats fast & narrow. Smoother on you & the machine.View attachment 874540

Just saw the offset stuff. I can slide my mower about 2.5'. The black belt guard ends up even with the left tire puts a lot of torque on the 3pt & the machine if it's in the air. So I really only side shift it much past center when it's on the ground. I can dangle about 3' of mower past my left tire & usually do when mowing & the roller is on the ground .

Not sure what that means for an offset mower though. May be able to run it on the ground, but I doubt it would lift safely.

 

[leonz]

As I mentioned before you will have little over center control of the
mower head other than the position of the mule on level ground.

The forces created by the swinging of the boom and mower body
and the combined weight of the boom and mower head are going
to act like a 5 gallon pail of gear oil hung on a 16 foot 2 by 6 swinging
back and forth while the last 4 feet of the 2 by 6 is resting on a 15
gallon barrel.

Read the Del Morino MOWER literature thoroughly, look at the
tractor and mower diagrams showing the centerline height of the
mule and the positions of the mower on embankments PLEASE.

 

[Nygardenguy]

Thanks for all of your input. I went with the smaller model and will use it cautiously. So thankful to have this forum and the many experienced and helpful people on it.

 

[Fallon]

Mows fine like this, but picking it up shifted like this is sketchy. To much flex on the flail frame & 3pt for me to feel safe about things not breaking. With a 72" track the tractor itself is reasonably sable with things side shifted, but not great. Due to the 3pt flex I never really tested the actual stability for more than a few yards though.

 

[Torvy]

That's shifted? Now I have to take a picture of mine. I was planning to take it out this morning anyway. Iirc, mine goes further right. It might just be perspective, though.

 

[Fallon]

That's shifted? Now I have to take a picture of mine. I was planning to take it out this morning anyway. Iirc, mine goes further right. It might just be perspective, though.

I could go an inch or 2 more to the right. The cylinder runs out of stroke & the PTO shaft would hit the shift hose. A mark or 2 on the hose when I didny have the banjo fitting rotated fully away from the PTO. Fixed now, but I still try to leave it a few inches from testing that it hasnt rotated into a clearance issue again.

 

[LouNY]

That's the difference between a side shift and a offset.
My offset/ditch bank mower;
partially offset

completely offset

rotated up

mowing while rotated about 45 degrees down

mowing 45 degrees or more up

 

[Torvy]

Your pictures are better than mine!

 

[Torvy]

I could go an inch or 2 more to the right. The cylinder runs out of stroke & the PTO shaft would hit the shift hose. A mark or 2 on the hose when I didny have the banjo fitting rotated fully away from the PTO. Fixed now, but I still try to leave it a few inches from testing that it hasnt rotated into a clearance issue again.

Gotcha. Mine's like Lou's. Same colors, different brand.

 

[Gypsyman]

Found this 10 month old Peruzzo Fox Cross 1600 on marketplace a few days ago. Reached out to the seller to see what the story was. Apparently he ran it for two passes around his pond and decided he wasn’t comfortable being that close to the bank due to how steep it was. It’s been parked in the bushes ever since.

Drove an hour to take a look at it. As soon as I saw it I made him an offer and he accepted. Other than a couple of small paint scuffs it’s a brand new mower. Hammers look perfect.

I’ll have to wait a bit before I’ll be able to run it. I need to get the rear hydraulics on order from Yanmar and get them installed but I’m happy to have it nonetheless. Between this and the Land Pride FDR3690 then I just picked up I should be able to handle everything around this property.